Proposed legislative changes in Northern Cyprus will allow Turkish Cypriots holding a special TRNC ID card to visit casinos in the region for the first time.
The bill was introduced by the ruling coalition and presented by Salahi Sahiner, an opposition MP from the Republican Turkish Party. It will allow casino permits to be issued automatically to hotels with 1,000 or more beds. The new legislative changes will also end the five casinos per company limit that currently applies in Northern Cyprus.
In addition, the changes will also allow casinos to be built near schools and in urban centres on the island – a development option that is currently banned.
Sahiner was openly critical of the bill, stating: “These regulations will make it easier for tax payments to be delayed and for unlimited casino permits to be granted. The Government is about to make one of the biggest mistakes in history while people’s lives are becoming more difficult day by day, and the Government is aiming to protect the interests of the casinos,” he said.
“The state of public finances is obvious and it has reached a point where we cannot even buy a needle without borrowing, while tension in society has practically brought us to the brink of civil war, but the Government’s only concern is to protect the interests of casinos.”
In December, the parliament approved a betting tax aimed at supporting local football clubs. However, this sparked a heated debate, as opponents claimed that the bill rewards clubs for financial mismanagement.
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